On Site: CuisinArt Golf Resort and Spa to Open Separate 70-Room Resort at New Golf Course

As part of Travel Agent's ongoing coverage fo the 30th annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace, we sat down with David Lyon, director of sales for CuisinArt Golf Resort and Spa in Anguilla, and learned of plans for construction of a separate 70-room resort to be built at CuisinArt's newly acquired golf course.

Lyon told Travel Agent that Leandro P. Rizzuto just signed an agreement to build a separate 70-room resort near the newly acquired, Greg Norman-designed, 18-hole golf course. Lyon said the project is still a "few years" away and will include a small conference center and a wedding facility.

In September, Rizzuto signed an agreement for the purchase of Temenos, a luxury development project composed of beachfront estate homes, luxury villas, a $50 million Greg Norman designed 18-hole golf course and a hotel.

In a June 7 public auction, Rizzuto placed the highest bid on Temenos, which is located next to CuisinArt Resort on a four-mile stretch of Anguillanbeach, after the property had fallen into receivership. CuisinArt Resort & Spa assumed ownership of the entire project in late August 2011. Subsequently, the resort will re-open on October 15 under its new name, CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa.

Under CuisinArt Resort management, the 275-acre beachfront property formerly known as Temenos will undergo a comprehensive restoration process to raise it to CuisinArt’s five-star standards; initial efforts will focus on the beautification of the 7,063-yard championship golf course. Refurbishing the property’s seawater reverse osmosis plant is a major component of this process, as the plant desalinates and purifies the water used on course, vastly improving the quality and thickness of the greens.

Improvements to the golf course will be followed by an upgrade of the property’s on-site Mediterranean-styled clubhouse, which features 33,500 square feet of flexible event space, including an expansive terrace that boasts sweeping views of the Caribbean Sea and neighboring island of St. Maarten.